This main dish features tender, juicy pork tenderloin spiced with cinnamon and other Moroccan-inspired flavors. Tomato-peach sauce sweetens the deal with a tangy twist in this unexpected, but well-balanced pairing.
It’s the first week of fall! Sweaters. Soups. Sweltering Saturdays… hold up. What?
Them’s the breaks living in the South. September is mostly an unforgiving sweatbox, made worse by the fact that I just want to burn pumpkin-reminiscent candles and drink hot tea, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
Call me basic. Do it.
That’s what I thought.
You know what’s a nice perk though? Peaches. Big, juicy peaches. They’re technically still in season here. A fall staple? Not quite. But for me, this time of year is generally a scramble to get them fresh while I can. Same with sun-ripened tomatoes, which are getting harder to come by, but still around.
If you know me well, you know a good number of my favorite foods feature fruit and savory foods mixed. Pulled pork with blueberry adobo sauce (coming soon), steak tacos with pickled blackberries, and—quite possibly one of my favorite foods—tomato peach sauce with spiced pork tenderloin.
I’ve actually been making this sauce for years, while the pork tenderloin recipe is a little over a year old. I originally created the sauce to put on top of brie pasta. I had lots of peaches and tomatoes on hand, fresh basil and sage in the garden, and a bunch of free time.
Thus the sauce of a lifetime was born.
I put this on pork, chicken, cheesy pasta, plain pasta… It’s pretty hard to go wrong. But there’s something special about it with this spiced pork tenderloin. Tomatoes, peaches, basil, cinnamon, cumin, pork… not things often listed together, but I’m pretty sure it was destiny.
I personally use the Ninja Master Prep Professional system to blend the sauce, but you can use any large food processor or blender. I love the Ninja system because a) it has sizes for everything I need, b) I can use multiple processors at the same time and it’s not a pain because the power pod is small and light, and c) I can just throw the plastic parts in the dishwasher when I’m finished.
When pork browns, it starts to develop caramel-y notes that beg for sweetness to solidify the connection. Both sweet and savory need a little acid to lighten things up, which is where the tomatoes and a bit of vinegar come in. We turn up the heat with Moroccan-inspired spices, and basil and sage keep things fresh.
What’s funny about this is that it actually ends up aligning with the fall vibes I’m craving. Fruit and meat is a classic pairing for fall. Ever heard of pork chops and applesauce?
Yeah, I said it.
Honestly though, it’s a real thing. Apple-stuffed pork tenderloin is a Pinterest classic. Pears are all over my early fall menu, from salads (more on that soon, I could write a book) to dessert.
How do you feel about pairing fruit with savory foods? Do you have a favorite combo? Comment and let me know! I’m always looking to add something new to my ever-expanding list.
As always, I want to hear from you! Got a question or something you’re struggling with in the kitchen? I’d love to help you out if I can, but I won’t know until you ask.
Anyway, let’s get searing!
Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Tomato Peach Sauce
- Total Time: About 50 minutes
- Yield: About 6 (4-oz) servings of pork and 3 cups of sauce 1x
Description
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: roasting, searing
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: spiced pork tenderloin with tomato peach sauce, pork tenderloin, tomato peach sauce, tomato sauce, sauce
Does the idea of cooking sauce and pork tenderloin at the same time freak you out? If you’re still a little nervous in the kitchen, I’ve got something for you.
The WhipSmart Kitchen Guide to Mise En Place is a workbook I put together to show you a method to the madness of cooking. I think every beginning cook should start out on the right foot, and I show you how to do exactly that here.
Just click below for a free download, and let me know how you like it!